Subject 2343
by Lily Morin
Summary: A seemingly normal planet, a seemingly normal street market. But when Rose comes back from shopping to find the Doctor missing she has to delve into the seemingly normal place to find what deep secrets and scary truths it holds. Rated for later chapters
1. Don’t wander off

A/N- I don't own any of these charters, they all belong to the BBC.

Happy reading!

Chapter One -o- Don't wander off

The 'don't wander off' rule had always been in place for her, not that it was something she followed, or that he really expected her to follow. Neither of them had ever really thought the rule should apply to him, after all, he knew what he was doing, where they were, who the people (or aliens) were, and how to get out of (almost) any bad situation. When they walked out the door of their safe haven, into the wide open world, or moon, or space station, it was always with the acceptance that something bad was going to happen, and that they'd fix it. It was just how their luck worked. But when he got that look in his eyes and told her to stay put because he had to look into something, they both knew she wouldn't. He'd wandered one way and she wandered another, and eventually, they both met in the middle with a solution. And that was how it worked, it was a good system, she always came back, and so did he, until he didn't.

-o-o-

Rose pushed open the doors to the TARDIS, a huge smile on her face, her arms loaded down with bags. They had stopped here, on her request, for a relaxing day of shopping. Of course the Doctor wanted nothing to do with her shopping, seeing as, when she got started she could be at it for hours.

'_I'm sure there are a few things that need a little-_

'_Jiggery-pokery?' Rose had interrupted him and he'd smiled nodding his head. _

'_Exactly,' he'd said reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small think metal card. 'It's a...well, a credit card, for the most part.' He'd handed over to her and she'd held back the sequel of excitement as she took it form him. 'Don't be gone to long, yeah?'_

'_I won't,' she'd told him smiling happily thinking of all the very neat things she was going to find at the alien street market. She hugged him and then ran down the ramp and out the doors._

She set all her bags down next to the console and looked around the room. No sign of the Doctor, in fact it didn't even look as though he'd been working on anything. She rolled her eyes and wondered just what had taking him off track, because there was always something. She started towards the door to the hall and thought about the best place to start looking.

An hour later and she still hadn't found him; she was beginning to worry a little. She had been all over the known ship, though she was sure it went on forever. She'd been everywhere he went, the library, the wardrobe, the kitchen, the med-bay, his room, her room, a funny little white room that she didn't recognize, he was no where. She'd even asked the TARDIS for help, seeing as they were such good friends after...everything that had happened, but she didn't know any more then Rose. And the TARDIS couldn't just speak, she had no real words, she communicated in...emotions in a way, hard to understand unless you'd had her in your head for a while.

Finally she sat down at the kitchen table and sighed as she tried to pull in her worry. Perhaps he'd decided he needed something after all and just hadn't thought to leave her a note, to 'domestic' for him. Well if that was the case they would have words about it, and she was sure they would be loud words. Or maybe he was holed up in some room she'd never seen and didn't know how to get to. He'd walk into the kitchen any moment asking about dinner and her shopping. She looked up at the door and sighed, she didn't think that was the case.

She looked at her watch, she'd left three hours ago to go shopping, she'd been searching for an hour now, so...two and a half hours left then. She sat back in her chair and tried to work out some kind of a plan.

'Five and a half hours, always wait five and a half hours,' He'd told her that once, so she'd wait. She'd give him his five and a half hours, and then she was doing what she always did, find him and fix what ever had gone wrong.

-o-o-

She was practically bouncing off the walls two hours and 24 minutes later. She was walking around the console, looking down at the switches, running her hands over them, hating that she was starting to feel a little helpless. She looked down at her watch again took a deep breath then looked at the TARDIS doors. He still had five minutes, but Rose was done waiting. She grabbed her jacket and her credit card from the jump chair and fingered the key that hung around her neck. She walked over to the door and stopped for just a moment.

"He'll be fine," She said not sure if she was reassuring herself or talking to the TARDIS. "He'll be fine and we'll be back soon." She opened the door and stepped into the bright sunny day, ready to find her wayward Doctor.

-o-o-

Cold

It was so cold. That was the first thing to enter his mind as he finally fought back the darkness enough to think. It was cold, and when he finally managed to open his eyes, he could see it was dark too, very, very dark. He rolled onto his back, very slowly and with great effort and much pain, groaning when he was finally looking up, at nothing. There were no stars, and no moons or clouds, he was inside. He pushed himself up slowly as he took inventory of his body; everything seemed to be working, if a little sore. His head hurt like he'd been run over by a car, and he should know, having been run over before. When he reached up and ran his hand through his hair he could feel the goose egg on his temple, and could feel the warm stickiness that was his blood, well, that never boded well.

He looked around the room as he tried to figure out what the last thing he remembered was. He remembered giving Rose the- Rose!

"Rose!" he called hoarsely his voice oddly weak. When no one answered he was not relieved, not yet anyway. He remembered giving her the credit card, watching her leave to go shopping, so was she here (Where ever 'here' was) trapped with him or was she safe on the TARDIS. He sat up farther and tried to stand, figure out just how trapped he was.

"Rose?" He asked again feeling around in his pocket for his sonic screwdriver. He tried not to worry too much when he came up empty, of everything. His pockets, _his_ pockets, were empty.

"No rose's here," A dry, unconcerned voice said to his right and he turned quickly as a light suddenly filled the room. "Subject 23-43 seems unaffected as of yet, and has shown no signs of infection. We have never worked with a subject quite as...unusual, as this one."

"I'm sorry, what?!" The Doctor shouted as he looked around the small room he was in. There were no doors, no windows, nothing but four white walls and a small cot in the corner.

"We will up its dosage," The disembodied voice said and then everything went dark again.

-o-o-o-

Rose stood, just outside the TARDIS, not really sure just where to start. She'd never really been on this end of the search before. For the most part, and though she was loath to admit it, it was usually her being rescued by the Doctor. And sometimes of course, they saved each other, but she'd never had to search for him, rescue him, save him. She took a deep breath and then stepped towards the market, the best place to start, was probably the one place she might get answers.

She hurried to the small parts shop she'd passed on her way into the street market. It had made her think of the Doctor when she passed. Huge unfamiliar piece of machines, and filthy oil covered parts sat in the window. She was sure, if the Doctor decided he needed something for the TARDIS he would have come here. She pushed the door open and looked around. The shop was small, hardly the size of her mum's living room. Shelves lined all the walls covered in parts. She recognized nothing, but that didn't surprise her. She navigated her way around the odds and ends that littered the walk way as she made her way over to the front desk.

There was a tall dark skinned man; at least she was pretty sure it was a man, sitting behind the desk, some kind of a hologram thing sitting in front of him, the pages changing when he waved his hand over it. She walked over and cleared her throat to get his attention. He looked up and Rose blinked in shock for only a moment at the man's third eye, right above his other two, sitting in the middle. He sighed deeply and waved his hand over the hologram and it went blank.

"Yes?" He demanded, his voice irritated.

"Um...well," She fumbled for the right words, she really didn't know how to do this. He glared at her and she nodded. "I was wondering if you've seen my friend, he may have come in here a few hours ago. He's about this tall," He held her hand a little above her head. "Brown hair, huge smile, pinstriped suit?" The man looked bored as he stared at her for a moment.

"He was here," He said nodding his head, looking slightly less then bored. "He looked around, found something, bought it, and then he left."

"Oh good," Rose said nodding her head, a starting point. "Did he-

"He was here, then he left," he said again glaring at her again. "He's not here any more and if he's gone missing best you left it alone and got on with things. People don't go missing then come back." He stood up taking his hologram thing with him. "Not 'round here." He said before he walked through a door to his back, slamming it behind him.

Rose stood there staring at the door for a long minute. What the hell did that mean? Did people go missing a lot around here? Finally she shook herself out of her shock and walked out the door. She needed a few answers, and, planet earth or alien moon, the best place to get answers, was a pub.

-o-o-

Rose had stayed away from the small little pub when she'd been shopping. It looked like one of those pubs you found at the end of a dark creepy ally back home. Not a place you go to grab some chips that was for sure. She took a deep breath then put on her best intimidation face and pushed open the door. She stepped inside and it felt like she'd stepped into one of those old westerns, where everyone in the place looks up at the new comer. She glared at everyone as she stepped farther into the room; she went over to the bar and sat down. She was hoping bar tenders all over the universe were as chatty as the ones back home.

"What'd'ya want?" A young man asked walking up to her from behind the bar. He looked human, for the most part, and that was a little comfort.

"I'm looking for someone," She told him, keeping her voice mildly low. "A friend of mine's gone missing."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, sounding bored, just like the last guy, almost like they'd heard this all before.

"Yeah," Rose said nodding her head. "I was hoping, well someone told me it was common around here, for people to up and disappear?"

"'S common alright," He said nodding his head as he leaned onto the bar. "Folks come from all over the place to see the street market, some of'em never find their way home again."

"Never?" Rose asked not liking the sound of that. Well obviously these people don't look hard enough for their friends.

"No one knows where they go, no one." He told her and Rose got the impression he was trying to scare her. "And none of'em _ever_ come back."

"Well," Rose said shaking her head. "None of them ever had me lookin' for them." She told him as she stood. "Do you know...that is, have they all disappeared from the same place?"

"All over, up and down the market street. One second there, next second not. Magic," he told her and Rose nodded her head. While this place wasn't medieval by any means, it was still a decade or so behind earth, so it may very well seem like magic to them. Of course what they thought of as magic, she knew had to be some kind of teleport, transmit beam maybe. She walked over to a kind of cash machine thing slipped in the card and then took the coins that dropped out.

"Thanks," She told the bar tender as she set down a few coins.

-o-o-

Sitting on the edge of the bed the Doctor was trying to formulate a plan of action, but his mind felt, odd. Ideas kept slipping through his fingers, he couldn't hold on to a single thought for more then a few seconds and he felt light headed whenever he tried to stand up and pace a little. Something was going on; someone was doing something to him. He couldn't figure out where he was, or who these people were. What did they want with him? Did they have Rose here somewhere? Even the thoughts of Rose passed through his mind quickly, when normally he would have been more worried over her then himself.

He sat up and looked around the room when the lights flashed on again. The lights kept coming on, then going out, and it was always the same voice speaking when the lights came on.

"Subject 23-43 is pale and shaky on its feet. It's seems confused and disorientated. These are the fist side affects, it seems to be working." The Doctor stood up and then had to place his hand on the wall to keep from falling.

"What's going on? Where am I? Answer me!" He demanded, though his voice was hardly louder then a whisper. He collapsed onto his cot again hardly able to hold himself up. The lights went out all around him again and, just as before, he felt his mind quickly shutting down as he lost consciousness.

-o-o-

Rose was back on the TARDIS, trying to figure out if there was a way to scan for alien technology. She tried to get answers from the TARDIS, but it was a very limited conversation and neither of them spoke the others language. She had been at it for almost two hours now and she didn't know what else to do. She knew he'd been scooped up by some kind of transport beam, or some such thing. She didn't know why or by whom, but she did know that it happened here a lot, and that people never came back from it. She growled in frustration and she stomped her foot and stepped away from the console.

"Why did he never show me how to _do_ any of this?!" She demanded to the ship at large. He had been missing now for almost ten hours, and she was no where closer to finding him then she had been when she'd started. Finally she shook her head snatched up her jacket and her card and stomped out the door again. An 'on foot' search would get her farther then standing in there was.

The door closed behind her and she looked around the street. It had gone quiet while she'd been inside. She walked out down the small ally they had landed in and saw that all the street venders had closed up and the night had fallen. Rose took a few steps into the street and looked around. Everything was so quiet, so serine now that it wasn't filled with hundreds of humans and aliens. As she was walking down the street, not really sure what she was looking for, she saw a glimmer of light on the ground. She bent over to get a better look and all the air went out of her when she saw what it was. Slowly she reached out and picked up the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

She stood back up with it in her hand, staring at it. This was very disheartening because if the Doctor didn't have this, he was without his main weapon.

-o-o-

When he came to again he was still in his cot, only his arm and neck were sore, like he'd slept on them wrong, but he never slept on something wrong, he was to 'aware' even when he was sleeping to do something like that. He reached down and felt along his arm, there was a bump in the skin, a miniscule one, but he could feel it. They had injected something into him.

'Side affects' that was what the voice had been talking about. They were testing something on him, and probably others. They were lab rats. He looked up sharply and his head swam with the movement. He looked slower this time to the wall where a latch opened and a tray slid into his room, a spotlight on the floor where it stopped. It had food on it, or something of the kind. He stood slowly, keeping his hand on the wall, and looked the food over. He didn't suppose there was any reason to poison them, and if he was going to get out of here, he'd need to keep up what ever strength he could. He sat down in front of it and ate slowly trying to hold onto the thoughts of escape.

-o-o-

Rose sat down in the jump seat and started at the sonic screwdriver. She hated that he didn't have it. Had he dropped it before he got beamed away? But that would seem to say he'd down it on purpose. Why would he purposely give up his only tool? Unless he didn't want who ever had him to get their hands on the technology, wouldn't be the first time he'd done something like that. Rose sighed and then she sat the screwdriver onto the center console. She jumped up when the screwdriver glowed green for a moment then a green laser light shoot out of it.

"_Emergency Program A"_ Rose flinched at the words as the Doctor's figure appeared in front of her.

"_Know you must hate these things,"_ The Doctor said and Rose nodded her head hoping he could shed some kind light on what was going on. _"If this has been activated something has happened to me." _Rose looked up and around to make sure that the TARDIS hadn't started to more, that he wasn't sending her home again.

"_You're not going anywhere,"_ He said shaking his head as though reading her mind. _"Only need to learn that lesson once."_ Rose grinned and nodded her head once. _"But I'm either lost or have been kidnapped,"_ Rose smirked and shook her head at the thought of him being 'kid' napped. _"Well there's always a first for everything. There's a setting on the sonic screwdriver that will pin point my location. All you'll have to do is feed in the coordinates and TARDIS will take care of the rest. I'll be seeing you soon Rose." _The figure of him disappeared and Rose jumped up from her seat.

"Wait, you didn't tell me the setting!" She yelled at the not there Doctor. She was growing close to tears when the light flashed back on and the Doctor appeared in front of her again, smirking.

"_Embarrassing that, yeah? Setting 235-3. I have complete faith in you Rose."_ He shimmered and disappeared again. Rose ran over to the screwdriver and got to work.

A/N- So, what do we think so far? Any good? Let me know. I love reviews!


	2. Interference

Chapter Two -o- Interference

A/N- So, I'm glad this is being taken so well. **Warning:** this story is rated because it deals in drug addition, so if that's not of you liking I'm sorry. I hope no one is offended by it. Thanks all!

Read On!

Chapter Two -o- Interference

Rose stared at the screen as her frustration mounted. She knew something had gone wrong, could feel it in the waves of unease the TARDIS was giving off. But she couldn't tell what had happened, what was going on, because the damn screen was all written in Gallifreyan. She remembered the Doctor telling her once that it was the only language the TARDIS didn't translate, for anyone. She shook her head as she snatched the sonic screwdriver off the console. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she couldn't just sit there.

"Isn't there some way?" She pleaded softly as she looked around the ship. "Some way you could tell me what's happened? Maybe translate this for me? Just this once?" Rose looked on helplessly as the screen stayed the same. She looked down at her watch and sighed, he'd been gone almost fifteen hours now. Her head shot up at the soft _beep...beep...beep..._ that was coming from the screen. She stepped over to it and let out a cheer at the English scrolling down the screen now.

"Wait, wait, slow down," Rose said as information passed by her eyes. "I can't read like he can," she reminded the ship and it scrolled back to the top and stopped. Rose sent out a silent thanks to the TARDIS as she began to read through the information.

There was something interfering with the tracing signal. Whatever the ship was tracing was not strong enough a link, and there was nothing that that could be done to strengthen it. There was a lot of technical information that she skipped over, not really understanding it. At the end of the writing she smiled again though. The TARDIS had narrowed down the Doctor's location to within a forty mile radius. The TARDIS could take her to the middle of the radius and the tracing could continued of foot, because, the closer she got to the Doctor, the stronger the signal would be.

"Forty miles," Rose muttered to herself as she looked down at the sonic screwdriver. That was a lot of space to search. Rose nodded her head as she thought about how she was going to do this. How would she know if she was getting closer? There wasn't bound to be a huge sign somewhere 'Lost Doctors found here.' The screwdriver in her hand began to mimic the steady beeping that was still coming from the screen. Rose looked from it to the screen and back again then smiled. A homing beacon...that _had_ to be what this was, to tell her when she was getting closer or if she was getting off track.

"Thank you," Rose said as she rushed from the control room towards her own room. Forty miles _was_ a long ways to go, and he could be anywhere with in that area, she was going to need a few things; because, once she was out there she wasn't coming back till she had the Doctor with her. She kicked off her trainers when she got to her room and put on her best most comfortable hiking boats. She threw a few things in a backpack then ran down to the kitchen, throwing nonperishables into her bag as well, along with two bottles of water.

'_Rose,'_ she stopped in her tracks at the voice in her head. She looked around but got the distinct feeling she was being talked to by the TARDIS, lots of first today. _'Can't do it often, your human mind can't take it,'_ it didn't surprise her that the TARDIS sounded like a female version of the Doctor. _'When you find him, call, I will come for you.'_

With those words the presence in her mind was gone and she looked around once more, almost expecting to see someone standing behind her. She had a feeling that by 'call' the TARDIS didn't mean on the phone. She slung the bag over her shoulders and then headed for the main door, closing it tightly behind her.

-o-o-

"Something is trying to trace our location," a dark haired figure said looking up at the man standing behind him. He nodded his head, a small smirk on his face.

"Let them try," He said, his voice was rough and gravely. "Nothing can find this place; do not concern yourself with it." He turned from the man and walked over to a large screen along one wall. "Now, tell me more about subject 23-43." He said as he watched a man in a dress shirt and pinstriped pants rock back and forth on a bed slowly.

-o-o-

He wasn't sure how long he'd been there, and that in itself was telling. He had a hold on time like no other being in the world, and he was starting to lose his grip. It seemed, every time it started to get really bad, when things began to really lose focus, the lights would go out. He'd black out again only to wake an undetermined amount of time later, and for a while, things would be better. He would be able to think again, for a while.

It didn't take him long to realize what was happening to him, what they were doing to him. Some kind of testing, illegal testing he was sure, but whatever they were testing, it was addictive, and he was sure, almost completely sure now, that he was addicted.

It was odd, to know that he, of all people, would suffer something as human as an addiction. His body chemistry made it almost impossible for him to become addicted to something, _almost_, being the key word here. Whatever, or whoever these people were, they were advance in a way he had not seen before, not higher or lower then him, just something he had never seen before.

"Subject 23-43," The Doctor looked up at the voice and hated that his head went fuzzy at the sudden movement. "What _are_ you?" The voice asked and he realized it was a new voice, different, meaner.

"Time Lord," The words were out of his mouth almost before he thought them, almost as if they were forced from his mind.

"Interesting," The voice said and sent shivers down his spine. "You are of legend, not real." The voice said and the Doctor shook his head, hard, almost as though trying to clear his mind. It had been a long while since the lights went out, his head was starting to swirl with thoughts, and he was beginning to lose focus again.

"Real...enough," He got out as his speech became harder to come by. "What..." He groaned as he clenched his teeth together. "What are you...doing to...me?" He finally ground out as his head began to pound.

"Would you like me to turn out the lights?" The voice asked and the Doctor shook his head, he would not give in. "Would it not make you feel better?" The voice asked and the Doctor knew, this man was _not_ interested in his well being.

"No," The Doctor growled out through his clenched teeth.

"Ah, well," The voice said and the Doctor hated him then. "Give it time." He said and the Doctor was not surprised when the lights went out and he sank away from consciousness.

-o-o-

Rose had been sure that this was not going to be easy, she knew it was going to be hard, probably the hardest, longest thing she'd ever done. But, she had not thought it would be so endless. There had been a small jump in the beeping, but that was almost two hours ago, ever since she entered the little town she was in now. Since then it had not changed in over four hours, not faster, not slower, she was making no progress at all, but almost worse then that, she wasn't sure if she was going the right way or not. At least, if it had slowed down she would know she was going the wrong way, and could change directions, but this...this nothing was driving her crazy. She was starting to wonder if she should head out, try the next town. She looked around slowly, and smiled at the grass field that looked like it led to the next town over.

She stopped only a few feet into the field. She looked down at the sonic screwdriver a little shocked. It had slowed down, not much, but a little, enough to know she was going in the wrong direction. Rose sighed in relief and turned to head back into the town.

Rose had only taken one step when the ground fell out from under her feet and before she even really registered that she was falling she hit the ground with a loud 'THUD' smashing her head against the hard ground. She raised her hand to her head as everything spun around her. She could feel the darkness trying to over take her, but she fought it. She couldn't pass out, she had to find the Doctor, she had...to...find...

-o-o-

He blinked his eyes open and let out a shuttered breath. He sat up slowly and then blinked at what, or well, who, was sitting in front of him. Rose, her hair pulled away from her face a soft smile on her lips. She reached out and brushed the sweat soaked hair out of his face. She lingered on his forehead for a moment then frowned.

"You have a fever." She said, her voice sounded, off, like she was far away for him.

"It's the drug," The Doctor told her, his head clear for the moment. "They're giving me something; I haven't figured it out yet. They must be doing some kind of testing."

"Well, you'll figure it out," Rose told him confidently nodding her head. The Doctor nodded his head too.

"How are you here?" He asked when his head cleared enough to wonder how she'd managed to get here. She smiled brightly at him and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm always here, with you." She told him as she reached out and placed her hand over his hearts.

"But you're not." The Doctor said when he realized what was going on. Something they were giving him, it was making him hallucinate. He reached out to touch her, only his hand went right through her shoulder. "You're not real." He told her, disgusted with himself for not seeing it right off.

"Real enough," Rose said nodding her head as she took a deep breath. "I'm coming Doctor, I'm coming," She told him before she slowly disappeared from in front of him. He sat up slowly and looked around the room, missing her presence, even if she had only been in his mind.

-o-o-

"Have any of the other subjects shown signs of hallucination?" The gravely voiced man asked and the dark haired man shook his head as he pulled up a few files.

"No, none of them sir," He said after a few minutes of searching. "A new side effect?"

"Perhaps," He said as he watched the screen in front of him. "But...I think not."

-o-o-

"I'm...coming," Rose mumbled as she blinked her eyes open. She pushed herself into a sitting position rolling her neck as she went. She groaned as the throbbing in her head intensified when she was fully upright. She looked around the small hole she was sitting in. She could see sunlight over head, which meant she had been out for a while. She looked down at her watch and swore loudly, almost seven hours. She looked around and found the sonic screwdriver by her feet. It was still beeping; in fact, it was faster now then it had been before, not a lot, but faster still.

Faster, that meant she was closer to the Doctor, but how was that possible? She pulled her bag closer to her and opened it up and took out a bottle of water and took a long drink off it. She pulled out a breakfast bar as she stood up. The hole was only a little deeper then she was tall. She opened the bar and ate it in a few bites then looked around. She was sure she could leverage herself out of the hole pretty easily. She threw her bag up out of the it and then tucked the sonic screwdriver into her pocket.

She reached up and got a good hold on the ground before she pulled herself up and out of the hole. When she was sitting on the edge she looked down in it, and wondered what the hole was, animal made maybe? She swung her legs out and stood up slowly, then pulled the sonic screwdriver out of her pocket.

She frowned at the little screwdriver in her hand, it had slowed back down. She looked at the hole and then back at the screwdriver as a smile began to work its way onto her face. Underground, he was underground! No wonder the beeping hadn't changed, she was right on top of him. He was underground, some kind of subterranean facility? It must be almost as big as the town. Rose looked back at the town she had been searching last night; it was busy with activity now, people, and aliens rushing about on their way to wherever they were going. How was she going to go snooping around with all these people out and about?

-o-o-

It had been a long while since the lights had gone out and every muscle in the Doctor's body was beginning to shake uncontrollably. It was all he could do to keep himself from curling up on the cot and letting go. Though she was all in his mind, he believed Rose; he knew she was coming so he held on. Though his mind was so foggy and his body felt like all his veins were on fire, he held on, because he was stronger then this.

"And now, Time Lord?" The gravely voice asked, he said the title with a mocking tint to his voice, as though he was skeptical that the Doctor was what he said he was. The Doctor shook his head slowly, _not_ giving in.

"I don't...think...you know...just who you're..." the Doctor curled into himself for a moment, trying not to show just how much pain he was in. His body was begging for whatever they had been giving him, screaming for it, but he would _not_ give in. "Dealing with." He ground out after a few seconds, when he had the pain under control.

"Up his dosage," The voice said and the Doctor shook his head. "I wonder...just how long you can hold on, hm?" The Doctor could hear the smirk in the voice as everything around him went dark again.

-o-o-

Rose had seen enough in her time with the Doctor to know that the mad scientist did not have lairs in the basement of hundred year old houses and the doors that lead to them were never really hidden behind a secret door in a bookshelf. So, when she started her search she looked for a building that could be the front to whatever was really going on. And she was sure, though she wasn't quite sure how, that some kind of testing was going on, like a lab of some kind. So, she figured, the best place to start was the hospital. She pulled the screwdriver out of her pocket and turned the beeping down to silent, no need to draw attention to herself.

It wasn't to hard to find, though it didn't look like any hospital she'd ever been to, but it had the green moon on the sign and on one side of the building, so she was sure it was the right place. She shivered slightly as she walked through the doors, she hated hospitals, something she was sure she'd picked up from the Doctor, and her most resent trip to a hospital.

'_That's where I'd put the shop, right there.'_ Rose smiled slightly over the memory and hoped she was headed in the right direction.

She walked into the hospital and looked around; she spotted the elevators and headed over. She pushed the down button and stepped on hoping this place didn't have disinfectant. She tensed for the shower and sighed in relief when nothing happened. She looked at the control panel and sighed again. Of course there couldn't be a button labeled 'Evil Lair.' She went as low as the elevator could go and stepped off at what appeared to be the morgue. She headed down a hall when she heard voices approaching, surely they would want to know what she was doing down here and really she hadn't thought that far ahead. She ducked into an unlocked room and closed the door silently behind her just as people turned the corner and then walked by her door.

She pulled out the sonic screwdriver and turned it on again. The beeping was so close together now, she was getting closer. Rose sighed in relief as she looked around the small room she was in. Why did the hospitals of the worlds seem to be evil in some way or another? When she was sure the coast was clear she stepped out from the room and headed down the hall keeping her eyes open for any...oddities.

Rose wondered the hall for nearly an hour, ducking into an empty room whenever she heard footsteps approaching, and she changed direction twice now when the beeping slowed down. She was sure she was on the right trail; she just needed to find a door that led farther down. She came to the end of the hall, a dead end and a control panel and decided to try and hack into it, like she'd seen the Doctor do before with the sonic screwdriver. The sonic screwdriver was now beeping one after another, no pause at all, she had to be close.

-o-o-

The Doctor laid on his back, staring at the ceiling, just, staring. He wasn't thinking, wasn't planning, just staring, it was all he could really get his mind to do at the moment. There was an almost blissful silence in his mind as he stared at the ceiling. He was trying to think, _trying_ to pull thoughts into his head and keep them there, but he was having a very hard time of it. Finally a thought made its way through what ever was blocking his mind and he sat up.

"Rose?" he said as though he'd heard her. He looked around the room and the fog in his mind cleared a little more. He positioned himself so he was sitting against the wall, facing the slot where the food came out. He was going to try and time how long it took before everything began to hurt. With thoughts of Rose in his mind he seemed better able to focus as he stared at the wall now, thinking.

-o-o-

Rose looked the sonic screwdriver over in her hand quickly and tried to remember what setting the Doctor used when he was hacking into something. As soon as this was all over, and they were both save back on the TARDIS she was making him giver her lessons, on everything. This not-knowing-what-I'm-doing-with-all-your-alien-tech was starting to frustrate her. Finally she was sure she'd found the right one and she smiled as she ran it over the screen on the control panel. Things began to flash across the screen as a password screen popped up. There were five empty boxes on the screen and a keyboard underneath it, with odd hieroglyphics instead of letters. Rose ran the sonic screwdriver over the hieroglyphics, as she'd seen the Doctor do, then she pulled it away and moved the setting up one. She pointed it at the password boxes and the hieroglyphics began to cycle though in the boxes, stopping when it found the right symbol.

As soon as the last box was full the screen sank back into the wall, leaving an empty hole in the wall. She watched as, a second later, the hole widened to the size of a small doorway. She looked all around her, hoping this was right as she stepped into the door way. She wasn't too shocked when the door shut quickly behind her. But it didn't mater; she didn't need to get back out again. She wondered if this hall was monitored, and hoped it wasn't.

She hadn't gotten very far down the hall way when a red light began to flash off and on all around her, and she was sure, she'd been found out. She picked up her pace as she moved down the long steep hall way. She needed to find the Doctor and get out of here, before she was trapped just like him.

-o-o-

The Doctor was watching his hand as it began to shake; it was an odd thing to see. He'd never really been out of control of his own body, and it was not something he was enjoying. It had been only an hour or so, he thought, since the last time the lights went out and already his body was beginning to go through withdrawals. It was getting worse, his body was getting too use to what ever they were giving him. If...no, he scolded himself shaking his head, _when_ he got out of here he was going to have a hell of a time getting over this stuff.

He looked up sharply as a light in his room began to flash on and off, some kind of a warning. He smirked a little, at least now he knew what species he was dealing with, only humans still used red as a warning color this far into the future.

"It seems we have an intruder," The Doctor growled slightly at the voice, he knew who it was, he was sure. "I think she must be yours." He said and the Doctor pushed himself off the bed.

"You keep your hands off her!" He snarled, not really sure where to be looking.

"Important to you, is she?" He asked, and the Doctor could hear the interest in his voice. "I wonder if she would make as interesting a subject as you."

"I'm warning you, you stay away from Rose." He told him, his voice menacing as he looked around the room. He was sure he was being watched, but he didn't know from where.

"Well, we'll see," The gravely voiced man said then let out a short sigh. "Perhaps I'll even let her think she's won before I lock her up."

"No!" The Doctor screamed shaking his head then looking around franticly as the lights went out. He waited for the darkness to fill his mind but it didn't come. He waited still to see if anyone came in to give him, what ever it was they were giving him, but no one came. So, he sat and waited, hoping Rose had some kind of a plan.

-o-o-

Rose hid around a corner as men dressed all in dark blue ran by her hiding spot. They were obviously looking for her, but so far, luck seemed to be on her side. She crept out of her hiding place when she was sure they'd gone and ran down the hall. She came to a flight of stairs and ran down them, taking them two at a time. At the bottom of the stairs there were three ways to go, each hallway was lined with doorways, but the setup of the doors made her thing of prison cells and she was certain she was in the right place. Now, which hallway?

She held out the sonic screwdriver and walked down the hall to her right, the beeping slowed a tiny bit, she back tracked and went down the hall in front of her, and it sped up, so that one beep wasn't even finished before the other beep.

She smiled as she ran down the hall, holding out the screwdriver as she went. She rushed passed a door then stopped and ran back, standing in front of the door; it was beeping, no pause, just and endless beep. She looked at the doorway. No handle, no hinges, how did it open? She turned the beeping off and switched settings, hoping it wasn't a deadlock seal as she ran it over the door. She looked around a little surprised that she wasn't being descended upon by the men in blue. She smirked as it accrued to her that they were _letting_ her find the Doctor. They didn't know she had a means of escape, they thought she'd get to him and they'd both be trapped. Finally after a few moments the door popped open to total darkness. Rose pushed the door farther open as she stepped into it.

"Doctor?" She whispered as she pushed the door open, letting in the light. He was sitting on the bed, his knees drawn up to his chest as he stared at her.

"Rose?" he asked, his voice held heavy skepticism and she nodded her head as she approached. She looked around the room; it was just big enough so she let the door close behind her. The Doctor's head snapped to the door as it locked again behind her.

"It's me," She said nodding her head again as she walked over to him. He looked horrible, his suit jacket and vest were thrown on the floor in the corner and his trainers were sitting on the edge of the bed. He had an odd frantic look in his eyes, and his hair was plastered to his face, sweat soaked. "Hey, what did they do to you?" She asked as she looked around the room.

"Rose, we have to..." He trailed off as the fog in his mind drifted in again. "We have to..." He couldn't seem to finish the sentence and Rose winced at the sight of him.

"Ok," She said nodding her head, closing her eyes. "So, I'm calling." She said a little louder then she'd been speaking. "I'm calling, come get us. I've got him. We're ready." She said as she walked over to the Doctor, she wrapped her arms around him.

"And where do you think you'll be going, hm?" Rose looked up at the voice and smirked. She looked around as a sweet sound filled the air all around them.

"Home," She said as the TARDIS materialized around them. The last thing Rose heard before the TARDIS was fully formed was 'No!' from the gravely voice. She looked over at the doors as, she assumed, the men in blue pounded on the outside of the TARDIS.

'_The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through those doors; believe me, they've tried.'_

She smirked and looked around the control room. She pulled the Doctor slowly from the cot he was sitting on. He looked around the room; he seemed to be a little awestruck.

"I don't sup- Rose stopped when the center column began to move up and down. She smirked as she pulled the Doctor from the room. The TARDIS was taking them away, probably to the void. They walked to the Doctor's room in silence, her holding him up almost completely.

"Rose?" The Doctor asked looking up at her as she helped him down onto his bed.

"Yes Doctor?" She asked as he looked up and met her eyes. There was something there that scared her to her core.

"This is going to be bad." He said before his eyes fluttered closed and he passed out.

A/N- Ok, so what do you think so far? I hope everyone likes it. It's a very interesting story to write, and I've never really done angst before so this is a whole new world for me. Well, anyway, tell me what you think. I love hearing from you.


	3. Fix you

A/N- This chapter was kind of hard for me to write. Like I said before, I'm not much of an angst writer. I hope it reads the way I meant for it to. I hope it has the right twist of pain and purpose that I wanted. I hope you like it. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter Three -o- Fix you**

'_This is going to be bad.' _

The words echoed in Rose's head as she sat by his bed, watching him. For the last half an hour or so he just lay there, looking to all the world like he was sleeping. She'd checked his vitals, as best she could anyway. His hearts sounded a little fast, but both were still beating, and he was breathing fine, or had been till about five minutes ago. She didn't know what to do for him, how to help as he began to thrash a little in his bed. She rushed over from the chair she'd been in, pulling the stethoscope from the bedside table. She pushing his arms back, an unusually easy act, and listened to his hearts, they were frantic, beating a mile a minute. One of his arms broke loose of her hold and smacked her across the face. She fell back, gasping a little. She watched as his eyes shot open, staring at her.

"Rose?" His eyes were frantic and his whole body seemed to shake as he tried to sit up.

"Here now," Rose said coming back to his side, trying to settle him. "You should stay in bed."

"Rose," He said again, awe in his voice this time. He reached out, his hand shaking like a leaf in a wind storm, and touched her face. "I'm sorr- He clenched his teeth and winced, curling into himself. He groaned and Rose hated just sitting there.

"Doctor," Rose said putting her hand on his shoulder. "I don't...how can I help?" She asked desperately.

"There's nothing you can do," He said shaking his head slowly as he uncurled to look up at her as the pain eased, a little. She could hear all the pain in his voice that he was keeping hidden from his face. "Whatever- He stopped for a moment and took a deep painful breath. "Whatever they were testing on me was addictive." He told her and she could see the sweat on his forehead at the efforts he was putting forth. "Its withdrawals," He told her looked away from the red spot forming on her cheek below her eye. After a moment he looked back up at her and could see the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," She said and he was shocked.

"Why?" He asked astonishment lacing his voice. "Rose, you saved me." He told her and she shook her head.

"Not in time, not before..." She trailed off shaking her head. "I was too late."

"No you weren't," He told her, his voice hard, no room for argument. "Rose, you saved me." He reached out, almost afraid to touch her, and took a gentle hold on her chin and made her look at him. She tried to ignore the fact that his hand shook, just a little as he held her. "You saved me."

"The TARDIS helped, a lot." She finally said after a few minutes of staring at him. He smiled, or tried to, and nodded his head.

"Rose, I think, well I'm pretty sure, what ever they were giving me, it was strong and- He paused and looked up at her, his face looked normal, unless you looked in his eyes, there you could see all the pain he was holding back. "How long was I there for?" He asked and Rose was a little surprised by the question, but she hid it well.

"Over 30 hours." Rose told him her voice low.

"To be so dependent on it already," He murmured, his voice low, as though he was talking to himself. "Rose, this is going to be hard. When I was there, I got shaking and foggy minded after only an hour or so without it." He looked around his room and back at her. "How long have we been here?"

"Almost an hour," She said after looking at her watch. He nodded his head and tensed as stabbing pains shot through his stomach and chest. He was hiding it well, for the moment, but Rose could see what it was costing him to hold it back.

"I think, if I can just get through the first forty-eight hours, it should be ok." He told her nodding his head. "Not great, but it'll be all up hill form there."

"Ok," Rose said ignoring the 'I' part of that statement for the moment. "When you say foggy minded?" Rose asked and the Doctor blinked a few times at her taking a deep breath.

"I'd feel, off...can't concentrate, I could hardly hold any thoughts in my head at first, about anything, I was worried about you, worried you were there too, but I couldn't really figure out why, or how. After a while it got a little easier, as my body adjusted to the drug. Then they'd up the dosage." He shook his head a few times softly and then looked up at her. "I knew I needed to get out of there, but I couldn't keep my mind on the thought long enough to formulate a plan, and...there was something missing." He closed his eyes as he tried to think back to first waking there.

"This?" Rose asked holding up his sonic screwdriver.

"Yes!" He said nodding his head then stopping as it made him dizzy. "Oh..." He trailed off as her slight smile went to a deep frown. "Rose...you should...you should go." He told her as his hands curled up into tight fists, his fingernails digging into his palms.

"Not a chance," Rose told him shaking her head as she wondered what she might need for this.

"_You have a fever." She said, her hand resting on his forehead._

"_It's the drug," The Doctor told her, his head clear for the moment. "They're giving me something; I haven't figured it out yet. They must be doing some kind of testing." _

The memories came to her unbidden though she wasn't really sure where they came from. She slowly reached out and touched his forehead. He was already starting to burn up. She looked around the room loath to have to get up and go to the bathroom to get supplies.

"You need me," She told him, seeing as he looked like he was going to argue with her. He nodded his head slowly, as though he didn't want to admit it.

"What if..." He trailed off again and this time she could see the pain sweep through his body. "What...if...I...hurt you?" He finally spit out, leaving off the 'again.'

"What? This?" Rose asked touching the bruise that was already forming under her eye. She smiled at him reassuringly then sat down on the bed next to him. "'Tis but a scratch," Rose joked, her voice light and airy. The Doctor smiled weakly at her, nodding his head again. His eyes fluttered and he took a deep breath and then was out again. She was sure it was more 'passing out' then 'falling asleep,' but she was sure he'd need the rest either way.

-o-o-

Rose took the now warm wash cloth of his forehead and placed it in the bowl full of ice and water. She'd dashed to the bathroom, which, thanks to the TARDIS had been right next to the Doctor's room, when he'd passed out. Everything she thought she might need, and even a few things she wasn't sure she'd need, she took it all with her anyway. She wrung out the now chilled towel and placed it back on his head and he let out a little groan.

He sat up so fast that Rose jumped up from his bed. His eyes were wide and wild as he looked around the room then back at her. He crawled to the top of the bed with his back pressed to the headboard. His eyes landed on hers and he shook his head.

"You're not real," He told her, his voice was soft but harsh as he shook his head.

"I am," Rose said nodding her head. "As real as you," She assured him and he shook his head harder now.

"No!" He barked at her and she stopped moving.

"Ok," She told him nodding her head slowly. "Ok, I'll stay here."

"What are you doing to me?" He demanded though now Rose was sure he wasn't talking to her. "Are you in my head too?" He asked shaking his head, hard. Then he reached up and pulled on his hair a little and ran his fingers through the sweat soaked strands.

"Doctor, please," Rose said hating the mistrust that was in his eyes as he watched her. "I'm real, really I am." She said taking a step towards him. "You're safe; we're back on the TARDIS." She told him looking around his room.

"TARDIS?" He asked and she nodded her head hoping he was _seeing_ her now.

"Yes, you're safe, we saved you, remember?" She asked finally close enough to reach out and touch his arm. He looked down at her hand then placed his very shaky hand on top of hers. He seemed to stare at it for a very long moment then look up at her, meeting her eyes.

"Rose?" he asked, his voice choked up with fear and tears.

"It's me," she told him as she slide down next to him. "I'm here," She assured him nodding her head as she pulled him away from the headboard, down closer to her.

"Rose," Her name broke on a sob and she pulled him somewhat into her lap, running her hand over his head, murmuring words of comfort as he sobbed silently in her lap.

-o-o-

Rose sat across from the now sleeping Doctor, his legs pulled up to his chest, in a semi fetal position. Every few minutes he would flinch or twitch and Rose would ready herself for him waking. She wasn't sure what to expect of him now. She looked down at her watch and sighed, wishing with all her might that she could speed time up from him, get him passed this faster. He'd only been back in the TARDIS for eight hours now, and three or so of them he'd been asleep, she didn't like to think about what else he was going to have to go through. How he could sleep now, with all the pain he was in, she didn't know, but she was glad he could.

"Rose," Her name was a mumble on his lips and she looked down at him. She blinked having not realized she'd stood up and started pacing. "Rose?" It was more frantic this time, though she could tell he was still asleep. She walked quickly over to him and knelt down next to his bed. She reached out and smoothed back his hair.

"I'm here," She whispered leaning in so she was closer to him. "I'm here." He seemed to still at her voice then let out a soft sigh and relaxed. She rested her head next to their linked hands and sighed as she made herself comfortable on the floor.

-o-o-

She jerked awake some time later in a blind panic. It didn't take her long to figure out what was wrong, the Doctor was gone. She pulled herself up quickly and rushed from the room, she looked back and forth down the hall then heard coughing, it sounded painful and Rose winced. She moved to the closed bathroom door and knocked softy.

"Doctor?" She asked and heard running water now. She wondered if he'd been sick, "are you alright?"

"I'm...fine," His voice ground out and she knew he was gritting his teeth in pain. "Bathroom break," he told her keeping his voice more even now. He looked up from the sink into the mirror and winced at what he saw there. His eyes looked sunken and his hair looked it hadn't been washed in days. As he stood there staring at himself he realized it hadn't been washed in a while and sighed.

"I'm going to take a shower," He told her seconds before sharp pains shot through his chest and abdomen; he doubled over, making as little noise as possible, one hand on the sink, holding him up.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" He heard Rose ask from the other side of the door. Her voice was so full of worry and she sounded slightly dismayed. He opened his mouth to answer her, still slightly curled in on himself, but he couldn't speak for fear of crying out in pain

"Doctor?" She said more worried now. She knocked on the door and then knocked again.

"Rose," He said weakly, not even a whisper, before he collapsed to the floor. His breathing sounded more like hissing now as he tried to control the pain.

"I'm coming in," Rose said, defiance in her voice now as she tried for the door. "Doctor! Open the door!" She yelled and he looked up at the door as dark spots began to fill his vision. "Doctor!" She cried pounding on the door. Then everything went silent and he blinked a few times slowly, the dark spots got bigger, then they filled his vision completely and he passed out on the bathroom floor.

-o-o-

It didn't take long to get the sonic screwdriver out to unlock the door. She found him, his arms wrapped around himself, lying curled up on the floor. He looked so sad and helpless there on the floor. Helpless, now that was something she was not use to seeing on the Doctor. She checked him over, right there on the floor, he seemed to be ok, elevated heart rate and breathing, but he seemed ok. Running for her life with him seemed too have strengthened her up a lot because picking him up off the floor and half carrying, half dragging him back the bedroom wasn't as hard as she would have though. She put him back in his bed then looked down at what he was wearing. It looked like he must have been sick, because his shirt was spotted with something.

She pulled his shirt up and over his head carefully, ruffling his hair even worse. She went to his dresser and pulled open the top one. It was filled with dress shirts; she was surprised by the tears that filled her eyes at sight of how immaculate they all looked, folded and sorted by color, courtesy of the TARDIS Rose was sure. She went through all his drawers till she found his Jim-Jams. She pulled out a pair and then walked back over to him, still totally gone to the world, and dressed him in the shirt and pants.

She sat down next to him when she was done and took his hand in hers. She leaned down and laid her head next to his and whispered that it was going to be ok, that she would help him through this, and after a while, she fell asleep, their hands locked together.

-o-o-

This time Rose woke to the sounds of a thrashing and heavy breathing. She sat up and looked down at him as he thrashed around on the bed. She put her hands on her shoulders and tried to wake him. She took deep breaths herself trying to keep from crying as she watched his breathing ease a little.

"Doctor, wake up," She whispered softly as his eyes fluttered.

"Rose?" His voice sounded weak and far away and Rose sniffed and nodded her head when his eyes slowly opened and looked up at her.

"Hi," She said hating that a few tears leaked free. He reached up to wipe them away and they both watched his shaking hand as it rose to her face. It seemed his hands hadn't been still since she got him back. He wiped the tears away, and more replaced them quickly.

"Don't cry," He told her softly and she nodded her head, trying to smile at him.

"Right," She agreed as she leaned over and rested her hand over his hearts. "How do you feel?" She asked, looking him over a little. "Any dizziness?" She asked reaching up to touch his forehead. "Your fever's gone," She told him smiling for real now.

"I feel ok," He told her and she nodded her head. "No dizziness, not right now." He was talking normally now, no pauses or sharp breaths. She looked down at her watch and nodded her head. It had been a little over fifteen hours since she brought him home, maybe they were heading into the final stretch now.

"How does your head feel?" She asked as she stood up and moved around the bed, looking him over.

"Ok," He said and she could see he was hiding something from her.

"Doctor?" She asked as she sat down on the other side of his bed. He looked down at his hands and stared at them for a long while, almost to long, as though he'd forgotten she said something. "Doctor?" She said again and his head jerked up and his eyes were filled with confusion.

"Rose?" He asked then shook his head and blinked, keeping his eyes closed for a long moment. "Ah, well, it's harder to keep a...hold of again." He told her and she understood what he meant. His mind was having trouble holding onto a single thought. Rose wasn't sure what this would mean to him, or if it was a permanent side effect of the withdrawals. She didn't know if the Doctor would be able to live like that, if it was permanent. She took his hand and he looked down at their linked fingers and sighed.

"Damn," He said shaking his head again. "That's incredibly annoying." She nodded her head and squeezed his hand. "To have a thought one second then gone the next and- he sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes slammed shut. "Rose," He chocked her name out as he tried to open his eyes and look at her. Finally the pain seemed to ease and his breathing evened out again.

"Rose," He said, though his voice now sounded strained. "If anything should...if anything should..." He shook his head, harder now then before and growled deep in his throat. "The sonic screwdriver has a setting to get you...home." He practically spit out the last word, probably fighting to keep a hold on this thought. "Setting 222-4."

"You're going to be fine," Rose told him trying to sound reassuring. "And even if...if something were to happen..." She couldn't say the words; they were stuck in her throat. "You're going to be fine." She told him again making it sound more like a demand now then a statement.

"Rose, would you..." He winced and took a deep breath. "Talk to me." He told her after a long moment.

"About what?" She asked leaning back against the backboard, his hand still in hers.

"Anything, your voice..." He smiled at her or tried to, it ended up looking more like a grimace, "Your voice...helps." He finally settled on, not knowing exactly how to tell her that when she talked he could _think_, that her voice helped him keep a hold of the now like nothing else in the known worlds.

"Ok," Rose said nodding her head as he settled his head on her shoulder. She began with stories from before they met. Stupid little things she'd done in her life. As she spoke she tied to ignore the fact that he was shaking, trying to control the pain. She told him about Jimmy Stone and the idiot he had been, and the idiot she had been with him. She told him what it was like, growing up watching your mum date different men, none of whom were good enough for her, all the while wondering what your life would have been like if your father had just _not_ been hit by that car. Then she told him about what it was like meeting him, only she told him as though he hadn't been there with her, like the stories were all new to him. After a while she looked down and realized he was asleep, not passed out or knocked unconscious, just...sleeping. His breathing was a little uneven but nothing that looked to be alarming. She pulled her legs up onto the bed and pulled the covers over the two of them. She didn't think she would be able to sleep, but she wasn't going to leave him here to wake alone. She leaned against the headboard and continued talking in a soft soothing voice, running her hand through his hair.

-o-o-

It started as a dull ache in his chest, an almost ignorable pain. His breathing was a little labored, a little uneasy, which was saying a lot, and none of it good, respiratory bypass system and all, and it worried him to some degree. He wasn't, as of yet, concerned, he had decided this was something he could and would make it through. But he hated what it was doing to Rose. Every time she looked at him he could see her worry, feel it like waves coming off of her. He opened his eyes when the pain in his chest passed by bearable into kind of annoying. Rose was there, right next to him, running her hand through his hair, with her eyes closed. After a minute she sighed and he closed his eyes again seconds before she opened hers.

"So, I don't know if I ever told you this," She said, her voice low a small smile on her face. "But, you changed my life so much." He was sure she thought he was still asleep as she whispered to him. He could hear the tears in her voice when she spoke next. "Taking my hand, pulling me into your world, it was the best thing that ever happened to me." She stopped talking and her hand stilled in his hair for a moment. "So, you have to get better ok?" She told him now, and he was sure she was crying openly, if not loudly. "You have to beat this, because you're stronger then all this." She told him sniffing just a little. "And when your better, and I mean _way_ better," She said her hand moving again, her fingers running through his hair. "I'll make sure you understand, just how important you are to me," She leaned over and the Doctor was hardly aware of the pain that was building in his chest as her lips touched his forehead and lingered there for a moment.

"I love you," She whispered before she pulled away, and, the Doctor was sure, for just a moment, his hearts stopped. She went back to stroking his hair, her steady breathing comforting him in a way he'd never experienced before. It took almost 15 minutes, and he was glad he had a better hold on time now it seemed, before the pain in his chest got to the point where he could no long hold it in.

"Rose," he hissed her name out, and hated the look of fear on her face when he finally opened his eyes.

"Doctor, are you in pain? What can I do?" She asked backing away from him just a little so she could look at his face.

"Can you..." he hissed out a breath and clenched his teeth for a moment. "Can you help me...?" He shook his head a little and then closed his eyes, squeezed them shut tightly for a moment. "Help me to the med-bay?" He finally got out, though just the effort of it made his head spin.

"Of course," Rose said nodding her head as she stood and then turned and eased him out of the bed. "Lean on me Doctor." She told him, no room for argument, not that he could have even if he'd wanted to. She wrapped her arm around his waist and used her other hand to put his arm around her shoulders.

They walked out of his room and barley went ten steps before they saw the med-bay doors, open and waiting for them. Rose ran her hand over the wall of the ship as they went, silently thinking her for moving the room for her. She helped him up into the bed in the middle of the room. He looked up at her and she was a little surprised by the look in his eyes, such trust, she didn't think she deserved it.

"Ok," He finally said smiling at her, a real smile finally. "In that cabinet," He said pointing it out to her. "Third drawer from the top, little blue bottle," Rose nodded her head as she mover away from him, though she keep one eye on him the whole time.

"What is it?" She asked as she opened the drawer and looked around inside it.

"A natural immune booster," He told her hoping it would help a little. "Can't risk any kind of pain killers because- He stopped talking abruptly took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "Because I don't know how they might react to what ever they gave me so- He stopped again and she could tell he was barley holding back the pain. It amazed her how very strong he was. Not once, had he asked her to take him back to find out what the drug had been, to find it for him, or let him have it. Rose didn't know a lot about withdrawals, or drug addiction, but she'd watched enough documentaries on the telly to know a little about the pain and the need to have the drug in your system again, the Doctor utterly amazed her.

"So, it's this and rest." He said taking a deep breath finally done. It must have been hard, to get that one thought out and it killed her, to see him like this.

"How..." Rose cleared her thought and blinked back the tears as she turned to the sink behind her. "How many do you need?" She asked when her voice was clear again.

"Three for now," He told her ignoring the tears he could hear in her voice. She was trying to be strong for him, he wasn't going to ruin to illusion for her. She came back with a cup of water and three pills. She pocketed the little blue bottle and smiled at him as he took the pills.

"Help me back to bed before..." His voice slide off into silence and his eyes drooped. "This stuff..." He smiled crookedly at her as his eyes opened and closed a few times. "Knocks you on your..." He trailed off again as his eyes fell shut and he passed out. Well, one thing could be said for the little pills, 'fast acting.' She just hoped they helped with everything else.

Rose knew, from experience, that the med-bay bed was not the most comfortable bed in the TARDIS. So she eased him off the bed and again, half carried half dragged him back to his room. She put him back to bed then sat in a chair right next to his bed. She looked down at her watch and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Twenty hours down, Rose thought as she watched him, his breathing more or less normal now, how long to go?

A/N- Ok, so what do we think? Next is the Doctor getting better, or is this just the calm before the storm? R&R I love hearing from you guys!


	4. Pieces of me

Chapter Four -o- Pieces of me

She didn't really remember falling asleep in the first place, so when she woke again to the thrashings of the Doctor it was shocking. She sat up quickly, trying to calm him as he shook his head back and forth, his arms reaching out into the air, for something. It didn't take her long to realize she was hot, more then that, she was roasting, and she knew just where the heat was radiating from. The Doctor's fever had broken sometime earlier in the day, but now it seemed to be back in full force. He stilled for a moment and Rose reached out and placed her hand on his forehead and pulled it off again quickly. He was burning up; way passed the danger level of a human she was sure. Again he began to shake his head, back and forth, as though his disagreed with something she'd said. Then, suddenly he bolted up out of bed and looked around the room he was in. His eyes locked with Rose's after a moment and held her gaze. There was an odd look to his eyes, almost vacant in the way he stared, and she knew, what ever he was seeing in that moment, it wasn't her.

"Susan?" He asked, only his voice was different, almost...aged somehow. He looked around the room again, reaching up to loosen a tie he wasn't wearing.

"Doctor?" Rose said softly wondering who Susan was. He didn't even look at her when she spoke.

"Where are you Susan?" He asked and Rose understood that whoever Susan was the Doctor cared about her, you could hear it in his voice, even if it wasn't _his_ voice. Rose wished she could see what he was seeing; understand what was going on inside his head.

His gaze shifted from the wall to her again and his whole body started to shake a little. He shook his head again and fell back onto the bed. His eyes were still opened wide, staring, but Rose had no idea what he was seeing. She understood what was happening now though; high fevers could sometimes cause delirium.

Rose walked over to the bowl on the bedside table, and reached into the, not surprisingly, still cold water. She pulled out the rag and sat on the edge of the bed next to the Doctor and put it on his forehead. He jerked every now and then, rasing his arm, or reaching out with his hand as though reaching for something, or someone. He mumbled and talked, never making much sense as she replaced the rag, keeping him cool. Sometimes he yelled; names and places she did not know, and sometimes he whispered, fear filling his voice.

His voice would change too with different names, running through different accents, as though he was shifting through his regenerations. And she wondered, were they memories he was seeing, or just dreams?

"Brave heart, Tegan," was said with a slight reassuring note to it and she wondered who Tegan was. She also wondered about Susan, Jo, Grace, Olla and Leela, obviously past companions of some sort, but who had they been to him. She smiled slightly when he sighed and smiled then laughed lightly.

"Sarah Jane, getting us out of trouble is my job." Rose wondered what Sarah had been like back then. "Jelly baby?" Rose smiled at the tone in his voice as he held out his empty hand to the empty air.

The first time he said her name again she almost cried. He turned his head and looked at her, though he was still more looking through her, and smiled softly then shook his head, as though slightly exasperated with her.

"Rose," She'd been so caught off guard by the clipped northern accent that tears welled in her eyes. "Do I really have to go through the finer points of 'don't wander off' with you...again?" Rose let out a nearly hysterical giggle at the frustration in his voice. Finally his whole body stilled and Rose reached over and replaced the rag that had fallen off his forehead. His fever seemed to have gone down in the last two hours or so. She sighed in relief as she watched him. As she sat there keeping him cool a memory sudden sprung to mind that helped explain this, if only a little.

"_It looks...good." Rose said, though her voice held a hesitant note she couldn't hide. The Doctor's normal suit and jacket had been replaced by long tights and a tunic, and over that he had on a jacket that looked to be made of black leather of some kind, since he couldn't really go around in his suit in the 1700's; it'd be a little odd. She didn't mind the tights or the tunic so much, but the short black leather jacket made her...uncomfortable. _

"_Ok, going to take that as a complement," The Doctor said turning away from the polished glass that served as a mirror in their suite. His smiled died on his face though when he saw Rose looking at him. "Rose, what is it?"_

_She shook her head pulling on a smile for him. She took a breath and took a step towards him. She fingered the fine soft leather that the jacket was made of and a wistful smile replaced the fake one. _

"_No, it does, it looks good on you," She finally told him nodding her head now. It only took a moment for the Doctor to understand what was bothering her about the jacket. While it really looked nothing like the jacket his last self wore, he could see where she'd make the connection._

"_I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking when-_

"_No," Rose said softly smiling, and the Doctor was happy to see it was a real smile. "No, it's ok." _

"_You miss him," The Doctor said, it wasn't a question and for that Rose was grateful. _

"_I don't really know," Rose said shaking her head. "Sometimes I see him, in you. Sometimes you look at me and I can almost see blue eyes. But not in a, I-wish-you-were-him way, at least, not anymore." The Doctor nodded his head; they both remembered her 'can you change back' line._

"_I understand," He said nodding his head, and even though Rose hardly understood herself she believed him. "He's with me all the time. I know you think he's gone, but he's not." He smiled at her and she smiled back. _

"_I know," Rose told him nodding her head before she reached out and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."_

She supposed if _he_ was still with the Doctor, they all were one way or another. So that kind of explained his murmurs and cries and his talking in voices she didn't recognize. He seemed quiet now, the memories, delouses or nightmares, whatever they were, seemed gone for the moment. She picked up her watch off the bedside table and looked at it. They'd made it through almost 30 hours now, how many to go?

-o-o-

_He smiled as soon as the TARDIS doors shut behind Rose as she ran out to do her shopping. He'd been hoping for some time to tinker around a little, without her hurrying him along. Shopping had been a good excuse for the both of them. He knelt down next to the console and ran his hand over the metal, he could feel the purr of the ship and his smile brightened. He reached out to open the grate next to his feet and stopped, listening. He stood quickly and walked around to the screen on the center console. He read something over shaking his head slightly. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his glasses and put them on._

"_Well, now." He said as he pressed a few buttons and read some more. "That's not right." There were technological readings coming from someplace in the next town over, way ahead of the time line for this planet. He skimmed over the basic information and sighed looking up at the closed doors. He could go out and find Rose then get to the bottom of this, or he could just let her have her relaxing day and take care of this now, have it finished before she got back. He leaned away from the screen then pulled his glasses off and smiled. He grabbed his coat on the way out the door. Let Rose have her shopping, he thought with a huge smile as he locked the door behind him, this could be fun._

_-o-o-_

_He poked his head into a small parts store just a little ways away from the TARDIS and smiled at the man sitting behind the desk. The Doctor wasn't at all taken back by the glare, or the third eye, he just continued smiling as he walked in. The man sighed as though upset at being disturbed._

"_Can I help you?" He finally asked when it was evident that the Doctor was not going to leave any time soon._

"_Looking," The Doctor said shifting his eyes around the very small shop. "Well, really doing a little more then looking." _

"_No kidding?" He asked his tone dry as he shook his head. "What d'ya want?" The Doctor dropped the overly friendly smile and opted for a more serious look as he walked over to the desk. He seemed like a straight to the point kind of guy._

"_Anything...unusual going on around here?" He asked leaning sideways onto the desk. The guy cracked a small smile and rolled his eyes. _

"_You must be with them inspectors, been in here three times in the last few days." He rolled his eyes again, not hiding his displeasure at that fact. "And I'll tell you the same thing I told them, people who go missing don't come back and that's all's I know." He shook his head as he stood, turned and walked out through a door behind him, slamming it._

"_Well," The Doctor said as he took his leave of the place. Standing outside the shop he looked around. Why were people disappearing? He looked around, looking closely at each shop and face as his eyes passed them. He was going to need a few more answers, and he needed to find Rose. If people were disappearing from the market, she could be next, her being the trouble magnet that she was. He moved away from the shop, keeping his eyes open as he looked._

_It only took a manner of seconds for him to feel it coming; he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, dropped it on the ground, and then, was gone. Magic._

"Rose!" Rose jerked awake as her name was shouted out from next to her. It only took seconds to wake, locate the Doctor and wrap him in her arms as he shuttered from whatever nightmare had woke him. She was thankful to find that his fever was gone, not that she was sure it wouldn't come back, she had no idea how any of this went. She ran her hand over his hair as his breathing evened out and the shuttering stopped.

"What happened?" She asked softly after a few moments of silence.

"I remember," He told her shaking his head against her chest. "I remember what happened, how I got...there." She held back the sigh of relief at how almost normal his voice sounded now. He didn't stutter and there was very little pain in his words.

"The TARDIS picked up on a- He stopped talking for a moment and Rose hated the sound of the hissing breath he took, it sounded painful. So much for back to normal. "An advanced technology signal, something not of that time. I was going to-

"Investigate," Rose said nodding her head as she cute him off. How completely like him to wander off and get into trouble when that was what he was always warning her about.

"I couldn't remember any of it when I got there." He said pulling away from her a little now. "I didn't know I'd left the screwdriver for you. Didn't remember doing it," he took a deep pain free breath and Rose smiled. Seemed to come and go then, she wondered how long that would last. "But they have everything else," His tone went a little darker now and Rose nodded her head. "Everything, my psychic paper, my key, my- he stopped again but there was no painful breath or hissing pain, he just looked mad. "They've my picture of you." For some reason that seemed to make him the maddest and Rose couldn't help but smile at him.

"S'ok Doctor, you can have another one." She said soothingly. This didn't really seem to calm him and Rose wasn't sure anger was good for him at the moment. "How're you feeling?" She asked after a bit of a silence, trying to change the subject.

"Better," He told her and she could see and hear the 'better' in him. Not fixed yet, but not so broken anymore. She did a quick once over, checking his hearts rate and his forehead.

"Your fever's gone, for now," She told him as she pulled away a little. They both looked down at her stomach as it growled loudly in protest to not having been feed in more then a day.

"You need to eat," He told her and she opened her mouth to protest and the Doctor smiled. "I could probably use something too...some soup or something?" Rose stood up off the bed and nodded her head.

"Ok," She said as looked down at him. "You stay here, don't move, doctors orders. I'll be right back," She told him firmly and he smiled weakly at her and nodded his head. He was more then a little glad that moving no longer left him dizzy with pain. Not to say the pain was gone, could be he was just getting use to it, but it seemed to have eased a bit. He looked at Rose's watch sitting on the bedside table. She must have taken it off sometime while taking care of him. He picked it up and wondered just how long Rose had been by his side, more then 30 hours he was sure.

He sat up and winced a little, glad that Rose wasn't there to see him, then turned and pulled pillows up to sit against. He leaned back and relaxed, as much as he could, against the pillows. He closed his eyes and couldn't help but hear Rose's words from earlier, how much early he wasn't quite sure, but he heard them still loud and clear.

'_I love you'_

It wasn't that he was shocked, mostly anyway. He knew, or some deep hidden away piece of him did. And he hoped, a not so hidden piece of her knew he felt the same, even if he'd never said it, even if he didn't really understand the feelings himself. He took a deep breath, again pleased that there was no splitting pain. Why hadn't he said it? Well he knew why, of course he did. It just wasn't done; it was rule number one, numero uno, 'no fraternizing.' And it had worked damned well until now. Until her.

Nine had been close, closer then he had ever let himself come. So many times Nine had almost said it, almost let it slip out. Then Nine had become him and _he'd_ hidden the feelings away, as deep as he could get them.

'_What use are emotions if you will not __save the woman you love__?_'

It was a little jarring that even so soon after meeting Rose a thing with no feelings had seen what he had not, what he _would not_ see. And it _had_ been soon, he'd only known Rose for a few weeks by that point. But, looking back, he was sure, a tiny part of him fell the moment she swung down on the chain and saved his life, and he'd been falling ever since. Rose, this wonderful, caring, brave creature had walked into his life and made him feel again, and even more, had made it _ok_ to feel.

"Ok, so TARDIS had chicken soup, and only chicken soup, so I think that's what she thinks you need." Rose said as she walked into the room with a tray in her arms. She had a somewhat smile on her face, as though she was still overly worried about him, but didn't want it to show. She looked up and met his eyes and blinked.

"Is everything ok?" She asked as she hurriedly put the tray down and rushed over to him. "Are you in pain?" She asked taking his face in her hands to feel his head again, she was concerned by the look on his face. A myriad of emotions played over his face before he smiled and shook his head swallowing thickly.

"I think..." He trailed off as she put her hand on his forehead to check for a fever.

"Yes?" She asked removing her hand, he didn't seem to be in pain, he just looked...lost. "Is something wrong Doctor?" She asked moving back from him a little.

"I think..." he looked up and met her eyes and she drew back a little at the intensity there. It wasn't that it wasn't a look she was use to seeing on him, the Doctor could be very intense at times, just, he'd never looked so intensely at her...like that. "I love you." He finally said, letting the words slip from his lips before he had time to second guess himself.

"Oh, oh..." Rose blinked at him twice then smiled and nodded her head, not really understanding, or maybe, taking it as she thought he meant it, not letting herself believe he could mean what she wanted him to. "I love you too," She told him, though her tone held only friendly love and the Doctor knew, he _knew_ she felt more then that. Her earlier 'I love you' had not been the love of a sister.

"No Rose," her name came out on a pained hiss and he grimiest as pain rolled through him like a wave. She reached for him, taking his hand in hers.

"It's ok," She said as he clenched his teeth through the pain. "It's ok Doctor." She whispered reassuringly, she tried a small smile for him but he could see now; there was pain behind the smile. Pain because she thought he loved her like a friend, because he couldn't get the words out right, couldn't make her hear them right.

"Rose," He said her name again, more steady now, the pain mostly gone. "Rose," He sighed as the last of the pain ebbed. "I'm sorry," He told her now, wishing he had said it before, wishing it hadn't taken this to push it into his face. Wish that she hadn't had to be the first to say it.

"For what?" She asked alarmed as she looked into his eyes.

"For waiting so long," He told her shaking his head. "I'm so sorry," He said again, this time he reached up and ran his hand over her cheek, lingering on her neck.

"Rose," He said, making her name a question this time.

"Yes?" She asked staring into his eyes.

"I love you," He said and this time instead of waiting for a reply he pulled her forward and pressed his lips firmly to hers. It only took a moment for her to understand what he was saying, what he was doing, and then she was kissing him back. He was weak and tired and had to pull away only a few seconds in. He was happy to see she followed him back a little, not wanting to break the kiss.

Rose finally pulled back, her face a mixture of shock, pleasure, relief and sadness, the sadness confused him just a little. She slowly reached up and touched her lips lightly; as though she still wasn't sure the kiss actually happened.

"You..." She trailed off, not really sure what she wanted to say to him. There were so many things swirling around in her head right now, of course 'when can we try that whole kissing thing again,' was right on top.

"Love you," The Doctor said, smiling at her now. It was that cheeky I-know-something-you-don't-know smile, only now she knew what he knew and she was thinking maybe _she_ was going crazy.

"I..." She really wasn't having much luck with words right at the moment. She took a deep breath and wasn't all that surprised by the tears that finally slid down her cheeks. "I love you." She said, and this time, this time, she sounded like she had when he'd been 'sleeping.' Like a woman who couldn't ever see the possibility of any other man, ever, she sounded like a woman in love. He was not just a friend anymore, and she was not just a companion, not anymore, not ever. And now, no matter what, no matter where they went from here, things were different. He nodded his head slowly and reached out and pulled Rose towards him and wasn't surprised when she wrapped her arms around him, and, carful not to squeeze to tightly, hugged him to her.

"Wow," She finally said after a little while. She pulled back, just enough that she could look him in the eyes. "What brought that on?" She finally asked, not wanting to ruin the moment, but _really_, she had to know. He smirked a little and color came to his cheeks and Rose realized her was blushing, him _blushing_.

"Ah...well..." He trailed off and Rose laughed at the look on his face then leaned over and kissed his lips lightly then pulled back.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with..." She trailed off, almost dreading bring it up. "With the stories I was telling you, all the _talking _I was doing, while you were 'sleeping' would it?" She asked, giggling as his face went from red to white and his mouth fell open a little.

"You knew I was awake?" He finally squeaked out, making Rose laugh again.

"Not right away, not until after I said I love you," She cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders. "You, well, you stiffened a little after I said it, not much, but, enough to notice." She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. "So, when you said...when you said you loved me, I thought, you must be trying to reassure me that it was friendship, that I shouldn't get the two confused."

"I'm sorry," He said and she nodded her head then leaned back, resting her head on his chest. She could hear the rhythm of his two hearts and his breathing, which sounded almost even now and it made her smile. She just laid there with him for a long while, listening to him breath, for the moment he sounded free of pain.

"How are you feeling?" She asked after almost an hour.

"Good, wonderful in fact," He told her and she nodded her head smiling. "I think my body has just about purged itself of the drug."

"I don't pretend do be an expert on this kind of thing," Rose said turning so she was looking at him again. "But isn't this kind of thing supposed to take weeks, months even?"

"Well, yes that's is true, for a-

"Human," Rose said cutting him off smiling. "Right, of course."

"With the TARDIS here to help me through it, my body has flushed the drug out a lot fast then it would have with out her." The Doctor told Rose and Rose smiled, she sure loved this ship. "I should be back to myself in a week or so, then..."

"Then?" Rose asked not liking the tone of his voice now. He sighed and Rose shook her head, already knowing what he was going to say. "We can't go _back_!" She told him, hating the idea and he hadn't even told her yet. "No, I refuse, you can't." She told him, her voice firm and her tone clear. She waited a few seconds then let out a long sigh then shook her head slowly. "When do you what to go?"

"I'd like to wait a few more days, a week maybe," He told her and she nodded her head, resigned to the idea almost before she'd denied it. There was no stopping him from doing what he thought was right, even if she didn't want him to. She knew too, of course, that there were other people there, being drugged and used and she hated it, but, just this one time, she wished they could leave it to someone else to fix. It was selfish and so not like her, but just this once, she wished they could be a little selfish. They had just gotten through this, and she was a little afraid, what ever came next, they may not make it through that one.

"Ok," She agreed nodding her head holding back the fear and the tears from her voice. "Until then you are restricted to bed." She told him and his arms tightened around her waist and she closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into him.

"I can live with that," He told her softly and kissed the back of her head. "All those other people, trapped there Rose, we have to help them, we have to. Don't worry, we always come out better on the other side. We'll be fine." She could hear the smile in his voice and she nodded her head, hoping he was right.

A/N- So, what do you think? I know it was a little fluffy there at the end, but, I can't help it, it's in my genes. So, will they be ok? Can the Doctor cope with going back there without falling off the wagon; so to say...Find out next time at the same Who time on the same Who channel. R&R- I love it!!


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